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Parents Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What are the liberal arts?
A. The traditional branches of knowledge are included in the College of Liberal Arts (CLA): the social sciences, the humanities and fine arts; the sciences and mathematics. In 1955, Dean E.W. McDiarmid said, "The role of a liberal arts college in a university is, therefore, to create a true 'community of scholars' dedicated to the extension and transmission of knowledge to that end that men and women are liberally educated, whatever their ultimate destination."
That same description holds true today. The liberal arts prepare students for a lifetime of learning, equipping them with the analytic skills, powers of expression and critical literacies that are vital to personal and professional success in today's rapidly diverging economy.
Most of today's undergraduates will change careers, not just jobs, multiple times over the course of their professional lives. Technological innovations, the information explosion, and our swiftly evolving culture are transforming the worlds of home and of work in ways that place a premium on university and undergraduates who have "learned to learn." Because of its emphasis on critical thinking, creative problem solving, wide-ranging communication skills and continuous pursuit of learning, a liberal arts education is an ideal preparation for personal and professional success in the knowledge-driven economies of today and tomorrow.
Q: What's so great about a liberal arts education?
A: The foundations for all great cultural, scientific and technological achievements have been set down by people with the curiosity to seek, the imagination to dream, the intellectual agility to skip across boundaries of space and time, the vision to see the big picture, the knowledge to draw upon for perspective and insights, and the communication skills to shape people's understanding.
When a student studies liberal arts (the social sciences, arts and humanities, and sciences), they learn how to think creatively, analyze critically, communicate and build relationships across cultural and geographic divides. A liberal arts student will create the future on a bedrock of historical and cultural understanding.
A liberal education is expansive, comprehensive and mind-bending. It opens up prospects and possibilities, trespasses on new intellectual ground and challenges orthodoxy.
Liberal arts grads look at the big picture through a kaleidoscope lens, from many different angles. They discover the patterns in the big picture, rethink and rearrange the details, and think about what it all means.
A liberal arts education is about walking in another person's shoes, breathing different air and thinking in new and unfamiliar ways. It's about thinking way outside the box and building new and better boxes.
It's about sorting through the chaotic swirl of information to find understanding and reliable versions of the truth, harnessing new technologies to solve the world's problems. A liberal arts education is about getting larger-than-life ideas to work in the lives of real people.
Q. Why is CLA the right choice?
A. As the largest college on the Twin Cities campus, the College of Liberal Arts offers its students outstanding learning opportunities. Nestled on the wooded shores of the Mississippi River between the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, the campus is situated to offer students chances to extend their education beyond the classroom. Students can explore arts, music, theater and participate in service-learning opportunities by getting involved with a variety of off-campus organizations.
Through programs that the college and the University offer, students have opportunities to get involved in cutting-edge research with faculty, to join a variety of student organizations, to receive guidance from an alumni mentor, to become leaders, to envision and plan for the future, to challenge themselves, to learn and to grow.
While offering all of the excitement of a Big 10 university, CLA strives to provide many of the benefits of a small college experience. Through its Student Services unit and academic departments, CLA provides its students with support to succeed and thrive by providing opportunities for personal attention, information, referrals and encouragement.
Q. Can CCLC staff help my student choose a major?
A: Many students struggle with how to choose a major. There are lots of avenues students can explore to help them decide on a major. Following are just a few ways students can get some assistance in making that decision:
1. Take the ID 1201, Career Exploration class. This two-credit, semester-long class is taught by CCLC's career counselors and helps students explore majors and/or careers. This is a discussion-oriented course designed to be both an exploration of the 21st century world of work and an in-depth assessment of a student's interests, skills, personality and values.
2. Take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or the Strong Interest Inventory, the two career assessments offered through CCLC in 135 Johnston Hall, then meet with a career counselor to interpret the results. These self-assessments will help students with their major and career decision-making process.
3. Come to the Career and Community Learning Center's Resource Room in 135 Johnston Hall to find many terrific books that will help students learn more about the various majors offered in CLA and identify careers that would be a good fit.
4. Conduct an informational interview to learn more about the majors of former students and to learn about their current jobs. Students need only ask one of our peer advisors how to get started!
5. Attend the "Deciding on A Major" Workshop offered through the Career and Community Learning Center. This workshop is designed to help students develop strategies that link their major with their career. Students can find out how knowing their values, interests, and personality type can lead to good major and career decisions.
Q. How can CCLC help my student find a job, internship or volunteer opportunity?
A. Students can find opportunities in many ways, including:
1. Access GoldPASS, our online job/internship/volunteer posting database where students can browse through hundreds of open positions in for- and non-profit organizations. Students also can post their resumes for employers to review.
2. Visit with a Community Placement Service peer advisor in 345 Fraser for information on volunteer positions. This office has connections with literally hundreds of community agencies and nonprofit organizations that offer students a wide-range of opportunities to work directly for a particular cause, or to help with the business, administrative or operations areas of these organizations.
3. Attend employer information sessions and career fairs which will put students face-to-face with employers/organizations interested in hiring motivated, well-rounded and self-confident liberal arts students.
4. Attend workshops, classes and events to strengthen networking skills. These include the Job Search Strategies workshop; the ID 3201 Career Planning course; and the 1/2 day, Job Search Jump Start career planning event for CLA seniors.
Q. Do CLA grads get jobs?
A. YES they do, and in a wide-range of satisfying fields and industries. Some students decide to pursue graduate or professional school in law and medicine. For those looking for jobs, there are lots of ways to find them. The job search has several components.
The Internet and newspapers are two places to begin looking for a job. However, the hidden market is out there just waiting to be tapped into! In fact, about 75% of open positions are unadvertised openings. Oftentimes you can access these openings by talking to friends and family about opportunities where they work, or by conducting an informational interview with a professional in a career field that the student is interested in. An informational interview is simply meeting with someone in the field in which the student would like to enter and having a discussion about that career field. The professional can share what they've learned and the student gains valuable information from someone who knows. Sometimes the student may have the chance to meet with someone in a position to hire or get the student connected to other professionals in the field. Students can stop by our 135 Johnston Hall Resource Room to learn some strategic approaches to informational interviewing.
Our recommended resources to check out to get connected with professionals and to find jobs: - CLA Mentor Program
- GoldPASS, online job/volunteer/internship posting system
- A list of our Internet Resources
- Check out the Occupational Interviews Binder
- Check out books such as Jobsmarts for the Twentysomethings and Informational Interviewing
- See the handouts: "Informational Interviewing," "The Cold Calling Blues," and "Dos and Don'ts of the Job Hunt."
Job-related services CCLC offers: - Job Search Strategies Workshop - Students learn effective approaches to finding a job. See the Workshop Registration for dates and times of upcoming sessions.
Q. What is the job placement rate for CLA grads?
A. With nearly 15,000 students, and with graduates who pursue an incredible variety of full-time jobs, volunteer opportunities, or graduate programs after finishing a bachelor's degree, it's challenging to make generalizations about all of our graduates' career experiences.
Research has shown that students' job placement after graduation is often most closely related to the amount of time they have spent gaining work experience as undergraduates and their understanding of appropriate job searching techniques. As a result, it's extremely important for students to take advantage of the services we offer in CCLC early in their academic career. The earlier and more involved students get in their long-term career aspirations, the greater the likelihood they will land satisfying employment post graduation.
In a recent follow-up survey three years after graduation, CLA alumni were asked for observations about their careers. And they had good things to report. 80% reported that they had found their first job before or shortly after graduation, and the vast majority (76%) reported that they had been able to find a job that was a very close match with their interests and abilities. The graduates commented that the "well-rounded education" and the accessible out-of-class opportunities such as internships were key factors in their ability to secure satisfying careers.
Q. How long will it take for my student to find a job?
A. That depends on the initiative of your student, the line of work they plan to pursue, and the status of the economy at the time of their graduation or when they begin their job search. Encourage your student to begin building contacts with people in for- and non-profit organizations that might appeal to them early in their college career. Connections made early and developed throughout a student's college career could prove invaluable when the student begins the job search. Encourage your student to participate in the CLA Mentor Program to get connected with a professional in a career field they're interested in. Encourage them to get involved in work or professional related clubs on campus that will help them build their portfolios and work experience prior to them interviewing for jobs. The more avenues a student explores to find a job, the faster they will be able to land one.
Q: Wouldn't my student be better off specializing for a career?
A: Why should they set themselves up for obsolescence?
Fields that are hot today can cool off very quickly. Narrow specialization can leave students inhaling the dust of the big-picture thinkers who are speeding along the next superhighway.
With the vast portfolio of skills they bring into the world from a CLA perspective, CLA students are always ready to take the next turn, even at high-speed. CLA students have the broad vision, the nimble imagination, the creativity, and the judgment to take in the whole landscape, read the signals, know what's important, choose a course of action, take strategic detours around obstacles, and move forward with confidence into uncharted territory. CLA students are the leaders everyone else turns to for creative problem-solving and new directions.
Q. How can I help my student with the career process?
A. Don't make the decision for them, encourage your student to ask for help and to test their ideas through internships, volunteering, workshops and courses, hobbies, travel, research, informational interviews, taking interest inventories such as the Myers Briggs, talking with a career counselor in CCLC, and exploring other career-related opportunities through CCLC.
Q. What kinds of careers do liberal arts graduates pursue?
A. Liberal arts graduates pursue a broad range of careers including business, technology, management, communications, teaching, creative arts and more. Many graduates continue on to graduate and professional careers including law and medicine. The general, broad-based background provided by a liberal arts degree prepares graduates to participate effectively in the global marketplace and to work confidently in the world of ideas.
See more examples from the What Can I Do With A Major In section of our website.
Q. My student recently graduated. Is he or she able to use CCLC's services?
A. Yes, students can use CCLC's services up to one year after their graduation date. Other departments such as the U of M Alumni Association can assist alums who have been out of college longer.
Q. Are there any career services on campus for parents of CLA students?
A. Yes. Contact the University of Minnesota Career and Life Work Center or University Counseling and Consulting Services.
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